Roll It Up

Encased in layers of parchment-thin pastry, irresistibly browned and shatteringly crisp, a family-style concoction turns into a glamorous party dish. Elevated from humdrum to hoity-toity.

To make it easy, prepare the filling in advance. And by all means, use prepared phyllo dough. It's sold frozen in Greek and Middle Eastern markets and most supermarkets. Phyllo dough (also spelled filo, filla or fila, and pronounced FEE-loh) is similar to strudel dough, but doesn't contain egg or fat. Phyllo dough is simply a combination of flour, salt and water; sometimes a splash of soda water or vinegar is added.

It's rolled into almost see-through thin sheets. Store-bought phyllo is stacked in layers, furled scroll-style into a tight cylinder, sealed in an airtight plastic bag and packaged in long, slender boxes.

Before you fill the phyllo and roll it up, stack several layers of phyllo together. Lightly brush each layer with melted butter before the next sheet is added. Rather than using butter, if you prefer, you can spray each sheet lightly with no-stick olive oil cooking spray. The fat makes the dough brown and crisp when it bakes.

Sometimes a fine layer of tiny dry bread crumbs, herbs or seeds (such as sesame or caraway) is added between the sheets, which also helps to make it crispy.

Allow 24 hours for slow thawing of frozen phyllo in the refrigerator. Sometimes, when it thaws, the tissue-thin sheets stick together and tear. If this happens, it's not a calamity. You can patch the layers together and in the end, the patchwork won't show. Just position broken layers side by side (slightly overlapping), so that they compose an entire layer the size of a standard sheet.

Phyllo comes in different thicknesses. The thicker it is, the fewer layers you need. If it is the thinnest style, you'll need more layers to support the filling as you roll it into a strudel-style log. The Apollo brand, commonly found in supermarkets, labels its thinnest phyllo as Ultra-thin No. 4; its thicker sheets are labeled No. 7. The thinnest is best for baklava, the thicker is better for strudel (but either can work). The Kontos brand, often found in Middle Eastern markets, labels its thicker-style phyllo Country-Style Fillo No. 10.

In each of the recipes given here, I used phyllo of medium (or No. 7) thickness. If you're using a super-thin No. 4, add one or two more sheets.

The filling needs to be well-seasoned and creamy to contrast the flavor and texture of the showy crust. Two of my favorites: cooked chicken, shrimp or vegetables bathed in a cheese sauce or tumbled in a chutney-rice-mayonnaise mixture. You can roll them into a hearty main-dish log or skinny first-course mini-strudel. Or, for a different approach, you can place the filling in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, layering phyllo on the bottom and top.

For best results, prepare the filling in advance and refrigerate it, making sure that all the ingredients are completely cool before combining them. If you make the filling at the last minute, be sure it has cooled substantially before placing it on the phyllo; steaming filling causes the phyllo to get soggy.

For two of the phyllo strudel recipes given here, you will need some wax paper or a dry, smooth kitchen towel for rolling up the phyllo around the filling, a moist kitchen towel for covering the phyllo, a pastry brush for brushing layers with butter, a serrated knife for slicing the strudel into servings and a jellyroll pan or baking sheet for baking.

Place raisins in a microwave-safe container (a glass measuring cup with a handle works well). Add 2 tablespoons water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare rice mix according to package directions. Set aside, uncovered.

Pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to a 1/2-inch thickness using a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet or saucepan. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Don't use too much salt, because rice mixture may be salty.